The Buffalo Sabres are still hunting for that splashy deal, and Dylan Larkin was the latest name to surface in the chase.
According to Chris Johnston on his podcast Monday, Buffalo put together what he described as a “pretty big offer” for the Detroit center, only to run into the same roadblock that has complicated other pursuits: Larkin wasn’t willing to approve a move to Buffalo.
“I think the Buffalo Sabres made a pretty big offer at one point here in the last few weeks,” Johnston said. “They were told basically it’s just not something they can do because Larkin isn’t waiving to go there.”
Julian McKenzie followed up by asking what the package looked like, but Johnston didn’t reveal the details of the offer.
The Sabres, along with the Montreal Canadiens, are among the teams not currently on Larkin’s trade list, but that hasn’t stopped general manager Jarmo Kekalainen from checking in with Detroit about what it would take to get something done. The timing made sense, too, after the news that Connor Hellebuyck would be traded to the New Jersey Devils pushed Buffalo to shift its attention toward Larkin.
For Kekalainen, this is becoming a familiar pattern. He has been on the job for almost a year, and several of the biggest swings have ended up in the “what if” category.
At the trade deadline, he pursued Robert Thomas before ultimately landing on a deal with the St. Louis Blues for Colton Parayko, only for Parayko’s no-trade clause to stop it when he declined to waive it.
The Sabres also came close to landing Hellebuyck over the offseason before the Winnipeg Jets drove the price up too far.
That doesn’t mean Kekalainen has been reckless. If anything, the moves so far suggest he’s willing to keep pushing without forcing a bad deal.
He has already shown he can extract value, including the trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that sent Bowen Byram their way. Buffalo then quickly added Olen Zellweger, who has gotten off to a tremendous start and looks like a strong fit.
So even if the Larkin pursuit hit a wall, the approach hasn’t changed. Kekalainen is still making calls, still testing the market, and still trying to break through on the blockbuster he’s been chasing.
Right now, Detroit and Larkin appear to be at a stalemate, and the question is who blinks first. If Larkin eventually expands his list, Buffalo may be ready to pounce.
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